The Parliamentary Grant: Operating Revenue or Source of Finance?

This article discusses arguments addressing parliamentary grants as operating revenue or a source of finance in Great Britain. From an accounting standpoint, the most important point of difference between government and private sectors is the nature of the receipts which cover non-capital outlays. Parliamentary grants should be treated by central government accounting entities as a form of revenue and thus shown in the operating statement as income, and in the cash flow statement as an operating flow. The government was clear about the extent to which individual grants were intended to cover revenue expenditure or provide finance.